vegan chocolate mousse

We are coming to the end of our avocado harvest and it has been heaven to have an endless supply of avos.  We have had to get creative once or twice-from new versions of guac to mango and avo smoothies.  Today I discovered a new use for avocados and it is heavenly!  A new favourite, and no one would know the main ingredient is avocado.

Vegan Chocolate Mousse
300g ripe avocado-weighed without skin and stone
125g good quality cocao powder (it seems alot but it isnt!)
2 tbsp coconut oil
200ml agave or maple syrup
2 tsp vanilla extrct

To decorate-1-2 tbsp cocao nibs

Its a really quick and easy recipe with the aid of a food processor.  simply put all of the ingredients into the machine and process until thick and smooth.  You will need to open the food processor and push down the mixture from the side a couple of times.
Spoon the mixture into small bowls and chill in the fridge until required: it will keep for several hours. Serve decorated with the cocao nibs.

Tangled Carrot and radish salad with tahini dressing

I have been hopeless at posting on my blog, and hope thst now life is a bit simpler and less hectic I will be able to keep this up.  My veggie garden looks incredible at the moment and yesterday I managed to pick: pak choy, yellow carrot, orange carrots, radishes, lettuce, green beans, runner beans, limes, lemons, oranges...with this glut of everything I have been busy in the kitchen experimenting.

Tangled Carrot and radish salad with tahini dressing:

I made this a few days ago, thinking James would hate it-I was very wrong!  This is very loosely based on a salad in “The Spouted Kitchen” cookbook. 

Serves 4

6 carrots-I use an assortment of orange and yellow carrots

1 radish- moli (the long white ones!)

½ cup toasted cashew nuts or pistachios

Tahini dressing:

¼ cup tahini

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp agave nectar

3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1-3 tbsp water, as needed.

Using a vegetable peeler, peel the carrots.  Rest the bottom of the peeled carrot on a chopping board and starting at the skinny end of the carrot, press firmly down the length of the carrot with the peeler to create thin shavings.  Do the same with the radish.  Add the shaved carrots and radish to a mixing bowl.

To make the dressing, in a separate small bowl, whisk together the tahini, olive oil, agave nectar, lemon juice, salt and pepper.  Add the water 1 tbsp at a time until you reach the consistency of a basic vinaigrette.

Add the dressing to the bowl with the vegetables and toss to coat.  Add the toasted nuts-sprinkled on top and serve immediately.

Tomato and basil Risotto

I literally have a forest of basil in my garden, Janet, who helps me in my garden has not yet quite got the hang of only planting a few seeds at a time so we have feast or famine!  This time I am quite stuck on what to use all my basil for, I have been making jars and jars of basil oil.  This is a sludgy, verdant sauce that tastes clean, punchy and pure.  I have been adding it to all sorts of dishes-and it is delicious with a tomato risotto.

Basil Oil:
3 large bunches of basil-proper bunches, not the mean little ones sold in supermarkets
1 clove of garli, peeled
sea salt and black pepper
200ml extra virgin olive oil
Pull the basil leaves from their stalks and put them into a food processor with the garlic and a good pinch each of salt and pepper. Process until the basil is finely chopped.  With the motor running trickle in the olive oil through the funnel and continue to blend until you have a beautiful moss green puree.  Leave to stand for a few minutes, and then taste and adjust the seasoning.
Pour into a jar, cover and refridgerate until ready to use.  It keeps in the fridge for up to a week.

Tomato Salad:
I am always amazed by how many types of tomatoes are available-little, big, long, yellow, thin, round-so go crazy!
4 big handfuls of mixed tomatoes
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
Herb or balsamic vinegar
1 fresh red chilli, halved, deseeded and finely sliced
1 tbsp fresh chopped marjoram
1/2 clove of garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
a big handful of fresh basil leaves-picked and divided into big and small ones

Chop up the tomaotes in an irregular fashion.  Season from a height with sea salt, using slightly more than you normally would, this will draw out the yummy flavour and intensity of the tomatoes.  Put the tomatoes in a colander over a bowl and leave for 20 minutes to let any excess water and salt drip out.  Pour the liquid away, dry the bowl and out the tomaotes in it.  Dress them with a glug of olive oil and a slash of vinegar.  Add some pepper, the chilli, marjoram, and the large basil leaves, torn up.  Toss together, correct seasoning.  tumble the tomaotes onto a large platter, drizzle with a little extra olive oil and sprinkle over the little basil leaves.

Tomato and basil risotto:
This is an adaption of Jamie Olivers one which he uses ricotta cheese in.  It is so yummy with basil oil drizzled over it.
1 litre veg stock
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion -peeled and finely chopped
4-5 sticks of celery, thrimmed and finely chopped
600 grms risotto rice
250ml vermouth or dry white wine

Put the olive oil in a large pan, add the onion and celery and cook very gently over a low heat for about 15 mins, until soft.  Add the rice and turn up the heat.  Dont let the rice or veg catch on the bottom of the pan so keep stirring.
Quickly pour in the vermouth or wine, keep stirring until it is has evaporated.  Add the stock to the rice, a ladle at a time, stirring and waiting until it has been fully absorbed before adding the next.  Turn the heat down to low so the rice doesnt cook too quickly., and continue to add ladlefuls of stock until it has all be absorbed-about 15 mins, the rice should still be a little bit al dente.

700ml extra veg stock.
4 hndfuls of ripe tomatoes-I use the tomato salad above.
Add 1/2 the extra stock and 2/3rds of the tomatoes.  Gently bring to the boil, stirring all the time, turn down the heat until almost all the stock has been absorbed.  Add the rest of the stock a ladleful at a time.  Be careful not to overcook the rice, it should be soft, creamy and oozy!
Turn off the heat (at this point you can add in grated parmesan or ricotta) add a tbsp of the basil oil.  Check the seasoning then stir in the rest of the marinated tomatoes.  Put a lid on the pan and let it rest a min or two.  Serve with bsil oil.  

A supper of Courgettes, tomatoes and basil

This is from Nigel Slater's amazing book "Tender Volume 1", and has been a life saver for us as I have a glut of courgettes and a forest of basil in my garden.  For years I have been trying to grow courgettes and have always lost to powdery mildew-despite granny's potions-but since I have had drip irrigation in the garden I have an incredible selection of yellow, and green courgettes.
Squashes of every variety love a tomato, some people feel the need to skin and seed the tomato, but I dont think that its necessary for this dish.  It is a bit of a rough-edged supper but it tastes like late summer!
Courgettes-5 medium
olive oil-3 tbsp
tomatoes-4 medium to large
basil leaves-a handful
lemon

Cut the courgettes into thick fingers-about the size of a homemade chip.  Warm the oil in a deep pan and let the courgettes cook over a moderate heat for 6-8 minutes or so until they start to soften.
Chop the tomatoes roughly and add to the courgettes with the torn up basil leaves, salt, pepper and a good squeeze of lemon.  Stir, cover with  loose fitting lid and leave to simmer for 10 mins, until the courgettes are totally tender and the tomatoes have cooked down to a basil scented saucy slush.  The colours should be bright, the courgettes softly yielding but not browned.
If you are like my husband you can sponge up the sunny-tasting juices with fresh bread. 

Beans with marrow and corn

A very simple dish, based on a latin american one.  You can use any white beans; I use black eyed beans.  We have so many courgettes in the garden at the moment so a few have turned into marrows, but pumpkin would work just as well for those in colder climes!  To me this is a great comfort food.
3 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion peeled and chopped
1 large clove of garlic, crushed
1 can of tomatoes
fresh basil
fresh oregano
225g black eyed beans-soaled and cooked until very tender
1 marrow cut into largish dice
1 sweetcorn-cooked and kernals cut off
sea salt and black pepper

Heat the oil in a good sized saucepan and fry the onion for 5 mins, or until beginning to soften, then add the garlic, tomatoes (if using dried herbs add now) and cook fairly fast for about 10 minutes, without a lid on the saucepan, to make a thickish sauce.  Stir in the dried drained beans and marrow and simmer gently for about 10 minutes, until the marrow is nearly cooked, then mix in the sweetcorn and continue to cook until everything is tender and the mixture piping hot.  Season with salt, pepper and the fresh herbs and serve!

Nut and Seed Crackers

My lovely new cookbook, 'The Sprouted Kitchen' arrived last week and I have become addicted to these crackers.  They are the first ever gluten free and vegan biscuits I have ever been able to successfully make.  I tried them out on my friend SP and they passed the test!  They are really unusual and healthy.

1/2 cup ground almonds
1/2 cup raw cashews
2 tbsp ground flaxseed-or whole flax
1/3 cup sesame seeds
2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil
1 to 2 tbsp water, as needed

Combine the almond, cashews and flax in a food processor and pulse until evenly ground.  Add the sesame seeds, thyme, 1/2 tsp salt, the maple syrup and coconut oil and pulse a few times more. Add the water a tbsp at a time until the mixture just begins to stick together.  Form the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 325 F and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.

Remove the dough from the fridge, put it between two sheets of greaseproof paper, and roll it out as thin as you can (1/8th inch), you want them to be thin but if it's too thin you wont be able to pick up the crackers without them breaking.   Either with a sharp knife or a cookie cutter cut them into the shape you want .  Using a sharp edged spatula to get under the crackers, gently place the crackers onto the baking sheet with a bit of space between them.
Bake the crackers, rotating the baking sheet half way through the coking time, until the edges look toasted, 11 to 13 minutes!

Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 tsp of salt on top and leave to cool before serving.

Sweet Potato Falafel

This is a "Leon" Restaurant Classic!  I love falafel but have never been able to make them at home-they were a staple for me when I was travelling in Sudan, I became so reliant on them as a vegan food source that I was eating them hot off the street with Granny's marmalde for breakfast.  Thankfully I have come a long way since then!  These are heavenly with hummus and chopped tomatoes.  They are also vegan and gluten free.

2 medium sweet potato-orange inside.
1 1/2 tsp ground cummin
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
2 small cloves of garlic-chopped
2 big handfuls of coriander-chopped
juice of half a lemon
120g gram flour
a splash of olive oil
a sprinkling of sesame seeds
salt and pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 220 degrees C or gas mark 7 and roast the sweet potatoes whole until just tender (about 45 mins-1 hour).  Turn off the oven and leave the sweet potatoes to cool, then peel.  Put the sweet potatoes, cummin, garlic, ground and fresh coriander, lemon juice and gram flour into a large bowl.  Season well and mash with your hands - or a potato masher-until you have a smooth mix with no large lumps.  Stick in the fridge to firm up for an hour.  When you take it out your mix should be sticky rather than really wet and you can add more gram flour if necessary.
Heat the oven back up to 200 degrees C/gas mark 6.
Using a couple of soup spoons (put a well-heaped spoonful of mix in one spoon and use the concave side of the other to shape the sides), make the mixture into falafelly-looking things and put them on an oiled tray.  Sprinkle sesame seeds on top and bake in the oven for 15 or so mins until the bases are golden brown.